Life Goes On
by Scooby78
Summary: EG, with a mix of JK. : Takes place over a year after “Moving On” Rick never got the bus station on time and Eli left with Carla, it’s been over a year since they have heard from Eli and everyone’s lives are about to be turned upside down.
1. Chapter One

**Title:** Life Goes On  
**Author: **Scooby1978 aka Scooby78 aka Mandie  
**Rating: **R (I'll probably go above that at some point... since I have a way of doing that.  
**Category: **Eli/Grace, Jessie/Katie  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything!  
**Summary: **Takes place over a year after "Moving On"Rick never got the bus station on time and Eli left with Carla, it's been over a year since they have heard from Eli and everyone's lives are about to be turned upside down.

**A/N:** Yes, I'm starting another one. lol. I can't help it; this story wants to be written. Therefore, I'm going to stop fighting it. Also, Since When... has been updated, but on my site. I'm no longer going to be posting it here due to the fact that they removed it before. I will also be updating my other story posted her, fairly soon. The link to my site is in my profile.

**Chapter 1**

**November 22, 2002 - One Week before Thanksgiving**

Lily muted the television when she heard a knock at the front door. She stood up from the couch, made her way into the hallway, and proceeded to open the door. Every time she did this, she wished a certain person would be on the other side. Of course, it never was the person she was wishing for, but she hoped, and prayed that one day it would be. They needed him back. The empty void was far too much for them to handle. Sure, they went on with their daily lives, but it was hard. The nagging thoughts in the back of all of their minds telling them that he wasn't okay, that he needed them in some way. It was enough to drive a person crazy, but they all managed to get through each day, they had to. Life had to go on.

"Hi Katie." Lily said greeting her stepdaughter's girlfriend. "Jessie's in the kitchen with Grace." Lily said while motioning her to come in. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you Mrs. Sammler?" Katie asked, as she removed her sweater. Even though it was almost the middle of summer, there was still a chill in the air that refused to go away.

"Oh, you know. Same old same old, but I'm good."

Katie smiled, "You said she's in the kitchen?" With a slight nod from Lily Katie made her way into the kitchen. She didn't miss the sadness that consumed the room. Jessie and Grace were both lost in thought and she knew the cause of it. Eli was obviously on their minds. It happened all the time, everything would be somewhat honky dory then all of a sudden, it was a year and a half of sadness took control of their minds. Of course it didn't help that Thanksgiving was around the corner.

Eli had taken off with Carla. Only to be heard from once in the year and a half he'd been gone. He said he was okay, and said he'd call again during that one phone call. That however was before Rick picked up the phone and demanded that he returned home that instant.

"Hey you two." Katie leaned down and placed a kiss on Jessie's cheek before joining them at the table. "How you doing?"

"Okay. I just hate this." Jessie answered, reaching out for Katie's hand from across the table. "Everyday it's real, but near the holidays, it just makes it even more real.

"I know." She answered sympathetically and then turned towards Grace. She looked lost. Grace had felt so guilty since the night Eli left, that it had practically taken over... her soul.

Grace knew she should have told Rick sooner than she had, but she made a promise to Eli not to say anything. Now the guilt consumed her. Even though a part of her knew she wasn't responsible, it didn't help stop the intruded thoughts that she was to blame.

"I can't believe he hasn't called. How dare he. He has to know that we are all... that we all care about him." Grace snapped. The sadness over the past year and a half had instantly turned to anger. "We're all sitting here, about ready to cry, over someone who could give two shits about us."

Jessie and Katie both were taken aback by Grace's anger.

"I mean how hard is it for him to pick up the phone and let us know he's okay." Grace shook her head in disbelief, "It's not hard. It's simple. It would take two seconds out of his precious life, but he can't be fucking bothered."

"Grace..."

"Don't Grace me Jessie, you know that you feel the same way, we all do. Just none of us voice it. We all walk around on eggshells when it comes to Eli. Why?" She asked, and waited briefly for a response. "Why can't we all say what we really feeling? Why can't we just say how pissed off we are at him."

"We are pissed Grace, every single one of us, but it's not going to change anything. He's gone, and that makes us all sad. So, I'm sorry if those feelings surpass our anger, but they do. I'm not going to be mad at my brother, I can't, and I won't. I understand why your angry, but I'm not going to apologize for missing him and acting the way I do because of it. "

"Jessie, that's not..."

"I know Grace, but..."

"Hey, what are you two fighting about?" Lily asked as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Nothing." They both said at the same time.

"I'm going to my room." Grace announced, and then quickly left the kitchen.

Lily looked over at Jessie. "We're going to go to my room," Jessie said, before grabbing Katie's hand and leading her out of the room leaving Lily alone to wonder what had just happened.

Katie and Jessie made their way up the attic steps in silence, neither of them wanted to say a word until the reached the confines of Jessie's room.

"Okay, Jessie. What is Grace's deal? I always knew she was a little neurotic, but I mean she just... why is she that angry? I mean if anything you should be..."

"Grace has always been in love with Eli." Jessie answered simply.

"She was, is?" Katie asked surprised, she had no idea. Not that she would have, since she entered their lives months after Eli left.

"Yeah, she always had a big crush on him. Eli knew, I knew it, I think even our parents knew it. Nothing ever came of it of course. Eli liked her, just not in that way. So, when he dating Carla, who was Grace's best friend, Grace seized the opportunity to just be near Eli. She helped him choose gifts for Carla, anything and everything. I just don't think she realized that when he told her he was leaving to be with Carla, he'd actually do it. Therefore, she never said anything, until it was too late. So mix her feelings of guilt for not alerting my dad to Eli's plans, Eli actually leaving, and him leaving with her best friend..."

"It explains why she is so angry, and hurt."

"Yeah, plus. I think a part of her always hoped that somehow her and Eli might get together someday, and with him not being here it makes that dream impossible. She's wasted time, and I think she's starting to realize that it's time to move on. Not necessarily forget about Eli, but..."

"I get what your saying."

"I think it also hurts that Carla hasn't called her, I mean it's one thing for Eli not to call because my dad flipped on him, but Carla, she was her best friend, she could at least pick up the phone and let Grace know that their okay."

"Very true, but from what you told me Carla was a bitch, and not very considerate so it's completely in character for her not to think about Grace."

"True enough." Jessie sighed, and wanted briefly to forget about her anger and sadness about Eli. She turned towards Katie, and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm going to miss you."

"It's only for a week, Jess."

"I know, but why does your mom want to visit your aunt all of a sudden. Why can't you just have Thanksgiving here, visit them some other time."

"Why if I go at another time, you won't miss me?" Katie joked, and raised her eyebrows.

"No, I'll miss you then too, but I mean it's going to be hard. Everyone..." There she was again thinking about Eli. "I can't even seem to get through a minute without thinking of him."

"I know, but who knows maybe the holidays will make him realize how longs it's been. Mayeb he'll call."

"Yeah, maybe. But I doubt it."

"Just have a little faith Jess, for some strange reason I have a feeling that everything is going ot work out."

"Yeah?" Jessie smiled.

"Yeah." Katie said before placing another kiss upon her girlfriend's lips.

TBC???


	2. Chapter Two

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

**Chapter Two**

Katie and her aunt made their way down the supermarket aisles, one by one, searching for each item on the list they had composed earlier that morning. It was decided at the wee hours in the morning that in celebration of the Singer family visiting for the first time in over five years that a huge family gathering would take place Thanksgiving evening. Therefore, that only gave them a few days to prepare, and Katie, knowing her aunt knew this was only the first of many trips to the market.

Just as she rounded the corner with her aunt in tow behind her, she caught a glimpse of a boy out of the corner of her eye standing at the deli section. Causing her to do a double take, she knew him, she was sure of it, however she couldn't quite place him. She made her way over to where he was standing, hoping that a closer look would help her recognize him. When she was only mere inches away, she stopped dead in her tracks. The spiky hair, the gray sweatshirt, the small padlock located on a silver beaded chain around his neck.

"Oh, my God. It's Eli!" Katie exclaimed.

"Katie, sweetie what is it?" Her aunt asked, noticing the shocked look upon her nieces face.

"Nothing, um, uh. I know that guy, and..." She turned towards her aunt. "Do you think you can handle shopping without me for a few, I want to go say hi."

"Sure, but why do I think there's more than you just simply knowing him and wanting to say hello?" Her aunt questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there is, but I'll explain that later. I just don't want to..." Katie turned around Eli was gone. "Damn it!"

"I'm sure he's still in the store, just head in the direction he was. I'm sure you'll find him."

"Okay, I'll come find you in a few." Katie said and then rushed off to go find Eli, or the person that could simply be an Eli look alike. "No one else would where a padlock around their neck." She said aloud, convincing herself that it was indeed Eli. It had to be, and the thought that it was Eli excited her tremendously. Jessie would be so relieved and ecstatic to find out her brother was okay.

Katie rushed down the closest aisle to the deli counter only to discover he was nowhere in sight. She continued to the next aisle, still no Eli, just as she quickly turned the corner she smacked right into someone entering the aisle. "Oh, I'm sorr..." She began then looked up to see whom she had hit.

"It's okay, I wasn't paying..."

"Eli?" She questioned, she could see his expression change from an apologetic stranger to a confused young man that had no idea how this girl knew his name.

"Do I know you?" He questioned, as he racked his brain trying to figure out who this girl was.

"Uh, not really. We never met..."

"Well then how do you know who I am?"

"I'm a friend of your sisters, I saw pictures of you..."

"You're a friend of Jessie's." He stated.

"Yeah, we um, we became friends this past year, you know after you... Why haven't you called? They all miss you." She asked blatantly.

"I uh..."

"There's really no excuse for it you know. It takes two seconds to pick up the phone, and let everyone know you're all right. I mean, Jessie, and your Dad, Grace, Zoë and Lily they haven't been the same since. You don't even know about your mom..." Katie was rambling, she knew it, but all of Jessie's anger, and questions were taking over her mind.

'Wait, what about my mom. What happened? Is she... Okay?" Eli asked his concern evident.

"Do you really care?" Katie snapped, and then shook her head not believing the anger that was escaping her lips. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I just..." She could see that Eli didn't care about her explanations; all he wanted to know about was his mom. "She's okay, but she was in a car accident a month and was pretty banged up. She's in physical therapy now trying to get her strength back. All and all she's doing better than she was a month ago, but things still aren't easy for her.

"Oh." Eli said relieved to hear that she was doing better, but he couldn't help the guilt that resided in his mind. He should have been there, should have known about it before now, he should have kept in touch, he should have... He shook his head, knowing that those _'should haves _could go on forever. "And what about everyone else?"

"They're doing pretty good, for the most part. I mean they miss you, so that puts a damper on things, but... There's a lot I could tell you, but far too much to get into here. Do you want to get together later, and..."

"Do you live here now, or are you..." Eli interrupted.

"Visiting for the week, I'll be going home next Monday. Why?"

"Okay. Then, yeah, we can get together later. Can you get a ride to my place, or... Cause I kind of need to be home tonight, so..."

"Sure, I can have my aunt drop me off." She answered, "I think I have a pen and some paper in my purse." She started shuffling through her purse, looking for something for Eli to use to write his address down on. She found a pen right away, but a piece of paper wasn't forth coming. She grabbed a photo of her and Jessie and handed it to him. "Here just use the back of this."

Eli took the picture, and stared at it for a moment. Jessie had changed so much in the past year and a half. "Wow, she's so... she looks so different, she's not a little kid anymore. So..."

"Beautiful." Slipped out of Katie's mouth and she instantly regretted saying it. It wasn't her place to tell Eli about her and Jessie's relationship.

"What was that?" Eli said, not sure if he had heard her right.

"Uh, nothing." Katie smiled nonchalantly.

"You said she was beautiful." Eli said, with a questioning tone to his voice.

"Well she is." Katie answered simply.

"You said it in a way... that..." Eli shook his head, feeling crazy for thinking what he was thinking. "Never mind."

He knew. Katie knew he knew. She wasn't going to confirm it for him though, that was Jessie's job. "Well I need to go find my aunt, but I'll come over around what 7PM."

"Okay." Eli said, "I'll see you then."

Katie stood outside Eli's apartment door, he had already buzzed her up but hadn't opened the apartment door to let her in yet. She waited for a couple seconds before she knocked, and wondered briefly what could be taking him so long.

"Hey, sorry. I..."

"It's okay. I've only been out there a couple seconds. You're elevators out, so..."

"Yeah, I know. I figured it would take you a bit longer to get up the stairs, so I ran to the bathroom, I guess I wasn't quick enough."

Katie laughed, as Eli shrugged his shoulders. He then motioned her to come in. As Katie walked into the apartment, she took in her surroundings. It wasn't what she expected at all. It was clean, beyond clean. It was in perfect order, probably not a single dust bunny around. She was half expecting a messy bachelors pad, not a... _"Must be Carla's influence." _She thought, and then shrugged that thought away, since it didn't seem to fit Carla, from what she heard about her anyways.

"So, do you um, want a drink or something? I got water, soda, uh, juice, and..."

"Waters fine," Katie answered as she entered the apartment even further. She watched as Eli made his way into what she assumed was the kitchen and began scoping the apartment out even further. There was a single line of framed photographs that sat upon his television screen, one that consisted of him and the rest of the Sammler clan, taken she assumed a few years before the divorce, considering how old Jessie looked. A picture of him, Grace and Carla, though Carla was only half in it, so it looked more like a picture of him and Grace. A couple pictures of him and some friends from high school. Who knew Eli was so sentimental?

Just as Katie was about to look at the last photo Eli joined her in the small living room. "Here you go." He said handing her the bottle of Poland Springs.

"Thanks." She smiled, and took a sip before moving over to the couch.

She and Eli sat down on the couch simultaneously. "So..." They both started.

"You go first, it's obvious you have something to ask." Eli said.

"Well, I was wondering. Now that I've found you, well not found you, cause it's not like I was looking, but now that I know where you are. What does this mean? There's no way I can't tell Jessie where you are, but if I tell her, are you... I mean are you just going to disappear, run again."

"First of all I didn't really run, I left. Big difference there, technically I was an adult, so I could come and go as I pleased. Secondly, it's not that I don't want to have contact with my family, it's just, it has been so long at this point, that I really didn't know how to have contact with them again."

"Okay, Eli you left without anyone knowing besides Grace, that's running, no offense, but it is. You can chalk it up to whatever you want, but you ran away. You ran away from your problems with your dad, all for what, Carla. You two could have worked something out. You could have convinced her not to run, but..."

"What's done is done, I can't change the past Katie, simple as that, and you know what, who are you to come in here and judge a situation that you've only heard one side of. Well maybe two, but not mine."

"I'm not judging Eli, but honestly, you've put your family through hell. Do you even care about that?"

"How many times do I have to say I care, until you believe me?" Eli yelled, his voice becoming lauder and louder as the seconds passed. "I screwed up, Eli's still a fuck up, what else is new. Maybe I shouldn't have run, maybe I should have known better, there are a lot of maybes, but at the time, I didn't see anything besides a life with Carla. That's all I cared about."

"Okay I get that, but still why couldn't you just call?"

"I called, I called a thousand times, but I hung up each and every time, you know why, because all I could hear was them telling me I screwed up again."

"But if your happy... at this point that's all that matters, so okay, you didn't want to call right away, but now..."

"But now..." Eli voice was still loud, and angry. Just as his let out the beginning of that sentence, the loud crying began. "Damn it!"

"What? Who is..."

"I'll be right back." Eli left the room.

Katie listened as the crying became softer and softer as the seconds ticked by. She knew it was a baby, but what she didn't know is why Eli was babysitting. Is that why he needed to be home tonight? As all these thoughts began to swirl around her mind just as Eli entered the room again holding the cutest baby. Who looked no more than six months old.

"Never thought of you as the babysitting type."

"That's because I'm not. I'm more the father type." Eli said, changing the baby's position in his arms, so her head was resting on his shoulder.

"What?' Katie asked, not sure if she had heard him right. "Did you just say that this was your baby?"

"Yep, she's my daughter." He changed her position again, so she was facing Katie. "This is Elyse."

"Wow, um..."

"Guess you weren't expecting this." Eli joked.

'No, I..." Katie was surprised as can be, and speechless. She had no idea what to say.

"She is only one of the many reasons I haven't called. Can't you just picture it, me calling, after they already believe I've made the biggest mistake of my life by leaving with Carla. Telling them that I knocked my girlfriend up only after a couple months on the road, and after our daughter was born, she up and left me. That the person I loved more than anything in the world, the person I left my family for, screwed me over. Used me, just to get away from her problems, and never really gave two shits about me."

"Eli, they love you. I don't think..."

"I don't need to hear from them how much I screwed up. Because honestly, my daughter means the world to me, and I'm not going to listen to them say how much I screwed my life up by making that decision to leave. I can't. I won't regret doing what I did, because if I did, it would mean I regret having my daughter, and I will never regret that."

"Eli, do you not know your family at all. Everyone makes mistakes. It happens. It's life. As you said before what's done is done, and I don't think now after all this time, they will be upset with you for leaving, or angry about..."

"But that's just it... I don't consider me leaving a mistake. If I did, then I would consider my daughter a mistake, and I..."

"Okay, not a mistake, that was a bad choice of wording on my part, but Eli... they're not going to care about the past. All they're going to care about is knowing that you're okay, and meeting your daughter. Don't you want that, don't you want your daughter to know her family, her grandparents, and her aunts?"

"Of course I do, I just don't think that..."

"Eli, just hear me out for a second. I think if Elyse hadn't been born, they might have been angry when they saw you for the first time, but now, I mean look at you. You're not the screw up anymore. From what I can see, you have you're life together. You have a nice apartment, which means you must have a decent job, a beautiful daughter, and... That's all they ever wanted for you, a decent life. Jessie told me about all the fighting that went on before you left, you seemed to have been misguided, no not misguided, but unsure of what the future held for you, all you ever saw, and all they saw was you heading down the wrong path. They wanted college, you didn't. You wanted music, they hated your music, and all you guys ever did was butt heads. I think after all this time they'll see that you're no longer the screw up. You have your life together, and as I said before that's all they ever wanted for you."

Eli let Katie's words sink in. It made sense, but he still couldn't see things going as smoothly if he did contact them as she made it seem. "Yeah, but..."

"No buts, I think it's time Eli. You should come back with me, even if it's just for a two-day visit. They should see just how together you are."

Eli snorted back a laugh. "Together? I am far from together."

"Aren't we all?" Katie said. "But seriously, I do think it's time. They need to know that you're okay, all the hurt and the anger needs to be healed."

"Okay."

"Okay?" Katie asked surprised.

"Yeah, okay. You're right. The past needs to be put to rest, and it's about time I grow up and do it." Eli said the words with confidence, but he didn't feel nearly as confident as the words made him sound.

"So what do you have to do, get time off from work? I leave Monday, so you'll need to get a plane..."

"Shit!"

"What?"

"I can't afford a place ticket, I can barely afford to pay my rent on time. There's no way that I can..."

"Well I could..."

"No, I'm not taking your money. Besides I'm sure it wouldn't be enough to cover a flight to Chicago."

"No I definitely have enough to cover it, and it would only be a loan, you can pay me back in installments."

"I can't..."

"Yes, you could." Katie said with her face sending the _'I won't take no for an answer look'_. "So are we calling the airport to get you a ticket, or..."

"I guess we are."

"Good. Now hand over that baby." Katie said giggling, snatching Elyse out of Eli's hands.

TBC??? Let me know your thoughts!


	3. Chapter Three

Authors Note: Thanks for all the feedback; sorry this took so long to get updated! 

All updates will be posted on my site first on the board, check my profile for the link.

Chapter 3 

Katie made her way up the steps that that led to Eli's apartment, with each step her mind raced with what the following week would entail. Jessie would be so excited, and Katie couldn't wait to see the look on her girlfriends face when she saw Eli.

Just as she rounded the corner about to knock on Eli's door, it swung open. There Eli stood with Elyse in his arms. "God you're quick." He joked, and motioned Katie to come in.

"I'm excited, and when I'm excited the adrenaline rushes through my body." She said, slightly winded. "I took the steps two at a time."

Eli laughed. "What's got you so excited?" He asked, even though he was sure he knew the answer to that.

"I ordered your ticket today, well yours and Elyse's." She answered, taking Elyse out of Eli's arms and cooed at her for a moment. "So, now I feel like… I don't know… I can't wait for Monday. Your family, is going to be…" She saw the look on Eli's face; she could see he was becoming a bit… "What is it, don't even tell me you changed your mind, cause I swear to God Eli, if I have to drag you on that plane myself I will. I am not leaving here without you."

"That's not it, well not entirely. I'm going… I just… I mean, how… how am I supposed to do it." Eli asked sighing. "Do I gather them all together at one time, or do I go to them separately, and if I go to them separately who do I see first, my mom, considering all the stuff she's been through, or my dad, considering the way I left things with him?"

"Well I think together is a good idea, but I also think doing it separately might be a good idea. So I'm really not sure how to answer that."

"And how much do I tell them, do I spring Elyse on them right away… or do I let them get their anger out first, then introduce them to her." Eli ran his hands over his face in frustration.

"Well… maybe, go to your parents and Jessie first. Then…"

"How the hell am I supposed to get those three together, without it seeming weird, or… I mean how can I not invite Lily."

"True. Well then, your parents, Jessie and Lily first, and then you can see the rest of the Manning clan and your friends."

"My friends, I'm not concerned about seeing, they all know where I am and…"

"They do?" Katie asked slightly shocked. She knew for a fact that Rick and Jessie both had asked Coop, and Wink if they had heard from Eli, and not just once but numerous times. "Your parents…"

"I know, were up their butts asking if they had heard from me." Eli sighed, again. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Everything had become so complicated lately and it was stressing him out completely. "For a while they didn't know, so it's not as if they were lying. Then once they had heard form me I asked them to keep it a secret."

"I wouldn't have done it. I would have gone straight to your parents. I mean seriously how could any of your friends look into your parents eyes and boldface lie. How could you ask them to?"

"Like I said Katie, they didn't know where I was for the longest time. They only found out recently, and they did try to convince me to go home. I wasn't ready yet, and they understood that."

"Still…" Katie began only to be cut off by Eli.

"Still nothing." Eli stated simply. "My friends are loyal, and I wasn't ready to face my parents or have them know where I was, so they kept it quiet." He could still see the annoyance in her eyes. He understood why she felt the way she did, since she probably seen his parents faces on a daily basis, and knew how much they missed him. "If Jessie asked you to keep a secret, even if you thought it was something that shouldn't be kept would you keep it?"

Katie thought about it for a moment. "Honestly, it depends. If her decision was hurting other people, I might not."

"Well until you're put in the situation, don't judge my friends."

"I'm not judging them Eli, I just don't understand how anyone could keep a secret after looking in your sisters eyes and seeing how much she missed you."

"They probably can't read my sisters eyes as well you." Eli said. "Which makes me wonder something." He could see Katie stiffen slightly at his words, which pretty much confirmed what he was thinking. "What exactly is your relationship with Jessie?" He asked, suspecting once again, there was a little more going on between them than a simple friendship. He didn't think his sister was gay by any means, but he could definitely sense that Katie had more than friendly feelings towards her.

"What do you mean?" She questioned as she shifted Elyse in her arms. She avoided Eli's eyes, and concentrated solely on his daughter. "We're friends."

"Still sticking to that story I see." He joked, "Are you sure, cause I kind of sense…"

"What? What do you sense? There's nothing to sense, we're just friends." She reiterated once again, she would not be the one to reveal their relationship. Jessie had to be the one to tell him.

"Okay."

"God I miss Katie." Jessie whined. "There's like absolutely nothing to do when she's not around." She added as she flipped through the television stations once more.

"Well maybe if you just selected a channel already you wouldn't be so bored." Grace answered, her voice filled with annoyance, since the better half of the past hour had been filled with channel surfing and listening to Jessie whine.

"You know you don't have to be here Grace, you could have very easily gone with Dad and Lily."

"And listen to their sadness about another holiday Eli wouldn't be here, no thanks." Grace commented.

"Grace…"

"Jessie, don't… I just can't deal with it right now." Grace glanced over towards her stepsister, hoping that she would let it go.

"No, I won't just stop. What is really going on? I mean, lately you just seem, I don't know… Like you don't care anymore that he's gone. That you don't miss him."

Grace looked down at her hands nervously. "I don't."

"You don't? You don't what?"

"I don't miss him. I've gotten to the point that I can't waste my energy on someone that doesn't give two shits about me, or about anyone else, but himself. So I stopped missing him. I just accepted it. In a way, Eli doesn't exist for me anymore. I know that's probably hard to hear, but he wasn't my brother, he was barely my friend. So I came to realize that I couldn't allow myself to be consumed with anger and sadness anymore, it wasn't healthy. I know it's different for you, your parents, hell even my mom… but for me, he's just another person that's not in my life anymore."

"Grace…" Jessie started, noticing for the first time that the sadness that has been embedded in Grace's eyes had some how changed.

Grace stood up off the couch. "Tell my mom and Rick, that I went over to my dads. I want a holiday that isn't filled with sadness for a change."

Jessie watched Grace walk away, and at that moment Jessie knew Grace was fooling herself. That the anger, and sadness she claimed to have let go remained fully intact. She did miss Eli, even if she wasn't willing to allow herself to admit it anymore; she missed him now more than ever.

Katie made her way towards the front door of her aunt's house. It was Thanksgiving Day and she had been assigned to be the honorary greeter of the day. So many relatives that normally wouldn't be sharing the day together had decided to get together this year, since her and her mom were in town. "Eli, you came." Katie exclaimed after opening the front door.

"Well you kind of made the invitation a must, so… and I figured we had nothing else really going on. Plus, it will be nice to have an actual family meal, even if it's not my own family."

"Well I'm glad that you did decide to come. I hated hearing that you two had nowhere to go."

"Well it's not like she would of known the difference, it's just like any other day to her. Strained peas, and…"

"True." Katie laughed. "So come in, and I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Okay. Is there a place I can put her stuff down first?" Eli asked motioning towards the diaper bag.

"Sure, right this way." Katie answered and led him down the hallways towards the room she was staying in. "You can just place everything on the bed."

Eli placed the carrier down on the bed and then tossed the diaper bag next to it. He began to unstrap Elyse from the carrier and picked her up to remove her jacket. "So, this is your aunts house?"

"Yeah." She answered as she led him out of the bedroom.

"It's nice. Cozy." Eli said looking around as they made their way back down the hallway and through the living room. "Kind of place I imagine Elyse and I having someday."

"Yeah, me too. I always loved this house, and imagined that one day I'd have one just like it. It's so inviting, and friendly. It immediately makes you feel at home."

"Yeah, it definitely does that. I don't think I've felt this at home, since… well since I was home… back in Illinois."

"Well you'll be back there soon enough." Katie said with a smile before entering the kitchen.

"Mom, Aunty, this is Eli. Jessie's brother. Eli this is my mom Janice and my Aunt Nicole, the two rugrats over there," Katie said pointing to the two boys fighting in the corner, "are my cousins Josh and Thomas, and my uncle John is the one over there glued to the television."

"Nice to meet you." Nicole and Janice said in unison.

"Yeah, you too. Thanks, for um… having us." Eli said nervously.

"Well we're glad to have you." Janice said. "So how old is your daughter?"

"Elyse here is six and a half months old." Eli answered proudly, looking down at his daughter with the brightest smile on his face.

"She's beautiful." Janice said as she began cooing at the little girl. "She has your eyes."

"You think?" Eli asked. "Everyone usually tells me she looks nothing like me."

"I can definitely see a lot of you in her. So where's her mother, I thought she was…"

"Mom." Katie said loudly. "I told you…"

"She um, she left… right after Elyse was born, so it's just us." Eli answered, his voice a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I just, Katie, I must have missed that part."

"It's okay." Eli assured her. "I'm used to having to answer that question."

"Mom, we're just going to watch some television in my room before the other guests arrive, okay?" Katie said noticing how uncomfortable Eli was getting with subject at hand.

"Okay sweetie. And Eli I'm sorry again for…"

"Not a problem Mrs. Singer, really." Eli answered sincerely before following Katie out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom.

"Lily do you need any help?" Jessie asked noticing her step mom acting more neurotic than usual. Instead of just Eli just missing this for this holiday meal, Grace was too and that was just making matters worse.

"No, sweetie. I'm good I think. I just…" Lily stopped herself. "Actually, do you think you could set the table for me. I think we're down to just us, your dad and Zoë. Judy is spending the day with Sam and his son, and well you know…"

"Sure." Jessie made her way over towards the cabinet and began grabbing the plates.

Jessie began placing down the plates around the table, followed by the glasses and the silverware. She kept watch on Lily from the corner of her eye, and could see how upset she was over Grace choosing to have dinner with Jake instead of with them. It reminded Jessie just how her own mom must be feeling. "Lily. Um, can I um… ask you a question? I know this may seem like a weird request, and by all means if it's too weird, you can say no… but I was thinking, after all you and my mom kind of get, well after her accident you two seem to… I was wondering…"

"You want to invite her Jessie?" Lily asked, having a feeling that was what she was trying to ask. She watched the young girl nod her head yes. "Well Jessie, I don't have a problem with it, I mean how many times have I had Jake and Tiffany over, but you might want to check with your dad."

"You won't mind, though. Really? I mean, it's your house, and your…"

"Jess, Thanksgiving is supposed to be about family, and with your brother gone, and Grace deciding too… I think if it will make you feel better about being here, than I'm all for it."

"No, Lily. I'm not saying that I didn't want to be here. I do. I just can see how empty this day feels without Eli and Grace being here, it just makes me realize that my mom must feel even worse than we do."

"Call her Jessie. It's really okay."

"Okay. Thanks Lily." Jessie said, placing down the last fork. Then she walked over towards Lily and engulfed her in a big hug and said thanks again.

"Jake, sweetie. You're sure that Lily wants us all there?" Tiffany asked.

"That's what Jessie said. She doesn't want a holiday without Grace, and Grace wants a semblance of normalcy this year, so I guess that means…"

"That we're all heading over to the Sammler residence."

"What?" Grace asked over hearing Tiffany and her dad. "No, I don't want to be there. I mean come on. All they're going to talk about is Eli non-stop, and how much they miss him. I can't deal with that."

"Grace, no they won't."

"Yes Dad. They will. It's all they ever talk about anymore. Each holiday is the same. _I wish Eli could be here. I wish he would just call us. I hope he's okay_." Grace said, mocking her moms' voice.

"Grace that's enough. Maybe you just don't get it. Eli is Rick's son, Jessie's brother, and he's gone. Of course they're affected by it. It's…"

"Yes Dad. He's gone! I'm still here though. Do you know how much it sucks to have everything revolve around Eli, how much it pains me to hear how much they care about him and miss him. Cause you know what, I do too. I live with it daily. I still hear Eli's voice in my head telling me he was leaving, and I still feel the guilt for not telling Rick until it was too late. I just can't deal with it anymore. He left. It was his decision. It's not fair. I just want things to be normal again. Why can't anybody understand that?" Grace screamed, while tears fell from her face.

Tiffany looked over to Jake, who had Maddie in his arms. "Jake maybe we shouldn't go, maybe we should just stick with going to the restaurant for dinner."

"No. We're going to Lily's."

"Dad, please. Just this once, let me have a day that doesn't revolve around Eli. Please!" Grace begged.

"Jake." Tiffany began, only to be silence by Jake.

Jake walked over to Tiffany and handed her Maddie. "Go get her coat on, we're leaving in a few minutes."

"Jake, come on. Look at her. She obviously needs…"

"Tiff, honey. Please just go get Maddie's coat on. Grace needs to be there today, if she wants a normal family day, then she's going to get it, but she's going to get it with her mom and sister present." Jake said sternly

TBC…


	4. Chapter Four

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**Chapter 4**

Eli glanced around the dinner table as the Katie's family all took their respective spots. The table was relatively small, but Katie's Aunt Nicole managed to some how squeeze in enough spots for everyone to eat comfortably. He figured it had to be a task that mothers instinctively knew how to handle, since it was something he witnessed his own mom, and step mom do on numerous occasions. No matter how many times he argued with either of them that there was no way that everyone would fit, they always managed to make it possible, but here he was in the midst of the Singer family Thanksgiving with about fifteen people surrounding him, Katie's aunts, uncles, grandparents, and a handful of cousins.

He watched as they all laughed at each other's jokes, and made the normal family small talk about what was going on in everyone's lives. And as he watched all of their faces light up, just by the pure joy of being together he felt completely alone. He was craving some of that Sammler / Manning craziness that always seemed to occur during any family get together.

Eli began smiling as the memory of the first Sammler / Manning holiday get together. Jessie and him were miserable the whole day, and he believes everyone else was too, even though he knew they would never admit to it. Jessie and him had gotten so used to everything being so simple. For years, it was just their mom, dad, and themselves, and then came the divorce, which made things harder, but still simple at the same time. The years their dad got them, his grandmother Peg would come down, and the years that his mom had them it would be just the three of them. So either way he looked at it, the day was simple, and peaceful.

Then came Lily. Eli remembered encouraging his dad to date Lily, or as he liked to call her _'the mom'_, he never thought in a million years that it would actually last, or that he in some ways he would be inheriting another family, but it had, and he had. The Manning's, now there was an interesting group of people.

Eli had grown to love each and every one of them, their quirks, and their craziness, sure it had taken him a while to adjust, but in time he had come to admire the whole Manning clan.

"You okay?" Katie asked, noticing the far away look on Eli's face.

Eli snapped out of his drive down memory lane at the sound of Katie's voice. He turned to her and offered her a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

"You could always call them. You know tell them now that you're coming home." Katie offered, knowing exactly what Eli was thinking about.

"Nah, it's better to see them in person at this point. I think." Eli said.

"Well if you change your mind, you can go use the phone at anytime. My aunt won't care."

Eli laughed. "Katie, I live down the street practically. If I wanted to call them I wouldn't need to do it on your aunts phone."

Katie smiled. "I know, but you know, if you wanted some moral support or something I could…"

"I know. But seriously, it's better if I just hold off at this point."

"Okay."

Lily ran to answer the door when the bell rang. She had no idea who it could be, considering everyone that was planning on attending was already there. She pulled the front door open, and gasped in surprise. "Jake!"

"Hey Lil…"

"Jake."

"Can we come in, it's kind of cold out here?" Jake asked.

"Sure, but what are you…"

"Jessie said, well Jessie called an asked if we could come over for dinner instead of going to the restaurant. That you wanted us to."

"She did." Lily replied, her shock still hadn't warned off.

"Well I can tell by your shocked expression that the request hadn't come from you." Jake laughed uneasily. "I think, she wanted Grace here, for you, and knew the only way to do that was to invite all of us." Jake said, and then looked over towards Tiffany who looked uncomfortable. "We can go…"

"No. It's fine really. The more the merrier, but Jake, where is Grace?"

"She's in the car, she didn't want to come in."

"But why, I mean she won't even talk to me… I have no idea why she all of a sudden decided to have Thanksgiving with you, or why she's acting like I'm public enemy number one."

"Eli." Jake answered simply.

"Huh, what about Eli." Lily asked confused.

"She's kind of sick and tired of everything being about him. You know how Grace is. She feels her own amount of guilt over him leaving, and she just wants things back to normal for a little while. She wants one day where it isn't consumed with memories of Eli."

"Eli is Rick's son, I can't ask him…"

"And Grace is your daughter."

"Jake, I know that. I know it's hard for her, but I can't just make everyone forget about Eli for a day, or have them not talk about him."

"I know, I not asking you too. I'm just letting you know what Grace is feeling."

"Well thanks." Lily said and then took Jake, Tiffany and Maddie's coats and put them inside the front hall closet. "Dinner will be in thirty minutes. I hope that Grace decides to join us by then." Lily was a taken back a bit by Jake's comment. It was as if he was saying she didn't care about Grace's feelings. And that couldn't be further from the truth. She did care, but there was only so much she could do to cater to everyone's feelings.

Jake watched Lily walk away, and glanced over at Tiffany. "Maybe we shouldn't have come."

"Well it's too late now, lets just make the best of it. I'm sure Grace will join us soon."

Grace sat in the backseat of her dads' car, she was angry, and she knew it was foolish to be. However, she just couldn't help it. She missed Eli, more than anyone could possibly know, but she was sick and tired of being reminded of him at every moment of the day. Was it really that selfish of her to want a normal family meal for once? She was so lost in her thoughts that she never heard the knock upon the back window.

Rick knocked on the window once more before letting himself into the car. He had over heard Lily and Jakes argument in the hallway, and knew he needed to speak to Grace. Rick's presence was noticed the instant the backdoor was opened.

"Rick." Grace said weakly. "I'm really not in the mood to talk, so if you don't mind I would really just like to be left alone."

"I know, and I will leave you alone in a minute, but I would like to talk to you first." He said sliding into the backseat. "Grace, I know this past year and a half has been hard, not just for me, but for you, the whole family, and I just want to say I'm sorry. I know you want things to just go back to normal, and that's exactly what I want as well. Unfortunately things can't get back to normal, and even if Eli returns, the dynamic will be different. Times change, people change. I know it pains you to hear or talk about Eli, due to your own uncalled for guilt. I don't blame you Grace, and you shouldn't either. Eli left. It was his decision. There was nothing any of us could have done. He wanted out, and even though I hate the fact that he left, I know in my heart that Eli will return, one day, and maybe it was the best thing for him, or maybe it was the worst. I don't know. All I do know is that we can't feel guilty for his decision. I blamed myself for so long, and I know you still blame yourself. Which is why it's so difficult for you to talk about him. However, it's time to forgive yourself Grace."

"How can I forgive myself when every day I see the pain etched on your face, on Jessie's face. On everyone's face, on my own face for that matter. I should have said something."

"And I shouldn't have demanded him to come home."

"You were doing what you thought was best." Grace answered weakly, not entirely understanding why Rick was blaming himself.

"I know, and so weren't you. I never saw how much pain Eli was actually in. I never noticed the small things, I didn't realize that me riding him the way I did pretty much caused him to run off with the one person he felt truly understood him. I wish I had, maybe then things would be different. But we can't change the past, but Grace the past includes all the good memories we have of Eli, not just the bad. It makes it easier for all of us to deal with him being gone, just knowing that in an instant we can recall the thousand different good memories we have of him."

"I know that they are hard to hear, but only because you can't let go of the guilt. It wasn't your fault Grace. It wasn't anyone's fault. Eli loves us, and we love him, he just needs some time."

"A year and a half… Isn't that enough time?" Grace yelled as the tears fell down her face. She understood what Rick was saying; it just didn't make things easier to deal with.

"Yes, that is a long time, but obviously not enough. I know my son Grace; I know he'll come home. And that's what I hold onto. I let go the anger, and resentment and held onto the one thing that makes this situation easier to deal with and that is the knowledge that my son will come home someday."

"What if he doesn't?"

"I don't know, I won't allow myself to think that way and neither should you."

"I can't get past it though. Him not being here, and everyone recalling all the good times it's almost as if he were dead. But he's not dead Rick, he just doesn't give two shits about us and that's the part that bothers me the most. He doesn't care."

"Grace, you know that's not true."

"Then he should be here. He has to know Rick. He has to know we all miss him, and are worrying about him. So why, why Rick… Why is he doing this to us?"

"Grace…" Rick said pulling her into him, and holding her against his chest as she cried.

Rick held onto Grace tightly as she cried. He prayed that with each tear that fell a bit of her anger, her resentment would ease. He knew it was unlikely, and knew that Grace needed someone else to talk to, someone that could help her deal with all the emotions weighing her down.

TBC…


	5. Chapter Five

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**Chapter Five**

Eli grabbed his suitcase from underneath his bed and tossed it on top of the covers. His flight back home to Chicago, was only a few hours away and Katie would be there in less than two to pick him up so he figured he needed to start packing. He of course had been putting it off for days. Eli wanted to go home, but at the same time he was in no hurry to get there. Considering he figured the next week would probably be the hardest week of his life, not counting the week following Carla's departure.

That week had killed him. Everyday he prayed that she'd smarten up and come back. That she'd realize how much she loved them, and needed to be with them. However, days turned in weeks, and weeks turned into months and after a while Eli finally let go of the possibility of her ever returning.

Thinking back to that week made Eli start to realize what he must have put his own family through. He always tried to keep the guilt of leaving buried deep within him, but on numerous occasions they surfaced and made him feel horrible and he would immediately pick up the phone to call them. However, before he even finished dialing the number he always hung up. He was a coward, pure and simple. He didn't want to hear how much he disappointed them by leaving, how he fucked up his life by being involved with Carla.

However, at this very moment he wished he had finished dialing their number, since he finally just realized that nothing else would have mattered besides hearing from him. Which now made him hopeful for the week to come. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Sure they may be angry, but at the same time all that will matter was the fact that he was home.

Now he wasn't worried as much, which made him start packing a little faster. He wasn't bringing everything, just the mere essentials since he knew he'd be coming back here in a couple of weeks. Though he wasn't sure if he was going to return to California for good, or to simply give his boss two weeks notice and pack up the rest of his things and go back to Chicago. That decision he figured depended upon how things went. Since, for the most part he had established his life here. He had a good job, not the greatest apartment in the world, but not the worst either. If he moved back home it would be like starting over again. He'd have to find a new job, that paid well, a new apartment, and a new set of babysitters. Though he figured a new set of babysitters wouldn't be that hard.

Eli tossed in the last pair of jeans he was bringing and closed his suitcase. He picked it up and carried it into the living room and placed it down next to Elyse's small bag. He looked down at the bag and realized how small it actually looked, and hoped he remembered to pack everything that she would need. He did a mental checklist of what he did pack for her, and figured it had to be enough, and if it weren't, then he'd have to go shopping. Something he'd grown accustomed to in the past seven months.

He always hated shopping in the past, and still did. However while he knew he could last a few more months in the same ragged pair of jeans, Elyse couldn't. She grew like a weed. Each new outfit only lasted a couple months, if he was lucky. Of course he'd always buy the next size up during his shopping spree, but the time to buy her new things always approached faster than he would have liked.

Eli glanced at the clock and knew Katie would be there at any minute, and figured it was time to start getting Elyse ready to go. He made his way into her bedroom, and looked down into her crib. He hated to disturb her since she was resting so peacefully, but he knew he had to. That thought made him cringe of course, considering all those months when she wouldn't sleep. Eli picked her up slowly hoping that the movement wouldn't make her stir, and so far so good. She was still resting peacefully. Her head rested upon Eli's shoulder, and he dipped down slightly to pick up her blanket that had fallen to the floor.

He walked into the next room and gathered her jacket, while it wasn't completely freezing out at this time of year, he knew she needed something on to protect her from the slight chill in the air. He placed the jacket down onto the couch and placed her on to of it. He moved her arms slowly into the sleeves and zippered the coat, all the while being impressed with himself for not waking her in the process.

"Damn I'm good." He said as he glanced down at his sleeping and daughter. However, he muttered those words a little too loudly. At that moment Elyse's eyes popped open, and her face scrunched up and she let out the loudest wail. "Guess I'm not that good." He mumbled, as he picked her up off the couch.

A few minutes later he managed to get her crying under control, but she hadn't fallen back to sleep. Which he hoped wouldn't mess up her napping schedule for the day, since he tried his best to plan the last few days based on the flight they'd be taking.

"Hey Grace, do you think you could drive me down to airport?" Jessie asked, she had her license, but didn't have her own car like Grace did, and with both her Dad and Lily being out she didn't have access theirs either.

"Can't you just wait until Katie gets back to her house to see her? Since I'm sure by that point your Dad will be back with his car." Grace asked looking up from the magazine she had been reading. She had no desire whatsoever to drive to the airport.

"I could, but I really don't want to." Jessie said as she sat down next to Grace on the couch.

"Jess, come on. I'm really not in the mood to drive down to the airport, besides didn't Mrs. Singer park her car there?"

"Yeah, she did, but I really want to see Katie and I don't want to wait the extra hour between her picking up her luggage, and driving home. She's been really weird on the phone this past week and… I just want to see her."

"That's another reason not to go. If she's been weird what makes you think she wants you to meet her at the airport."

"Grace please," Jessie asked again knowing that Katie in no way wouldn't want her to meet her. Sure, she's been distant, but Jessie knew it had nothing to do with her.

"Fine." Grace said tossing down her magazine. "What time do we need to leave?"

"In a half hour probably, her flight lands in an hour and a half so it will give us plenty of time to get there, and for me to find the gate."

"You okay?" Katie asked, looking across the aisle at Eli. She had lucked out when she had ordered his tickets and managed to get him and Elyse seats right across from her and her mom.

Eli glanced over to Katie. "Yeah, why?"

"You're breathing a little heavy?"

"Sorry, I just hate take off. Once we're in the air I'll be fine." He said taking another deep breath.

Eli could feel the plane beginning to taxi down the runway his eyes immediately snapped shut, as he gripped the sides of his seat. Katie couldn't help but laugh quietly at Eli; the look on his face was priceless.

"Stop laughing." He said through gritted teeth. "It's not funny."

"Oh, but Eli it is. You come across so tough, and fearless, but here you are gripping your seat scared shitless."

He could feel the plane start to level off. They were safely in the sky, and it was smooth flying from here on. At least he hoped, considered tuberlance freaked him out as well. "Well, just so you know Jessie is the exact same way. My mom claims our fear comes from a really bad flight we took when we were both really little. We of course don't remember _that_ actual flight, but ever since then we both freak out during take off, and landing."

"Really?" Katie asked surprised.

"Yeah. It sucks. I know I look like the biggest baby, but I can't help it. It's one of the few things that still freaks me out."

"Phobia's definitely suck." Katie said. "I mean I'm still scared shitless of those heffalumps and weasels from Winnie the Pooh."

"Are you serious?" Eli said laughing.

"Yep, don't know what it is about them, but as a kid I used to run out of the room when that part came on, and to this day I can't fully watch The Great Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I always fast forward through that part."

"And you want to know the sad part about that statement," Eli started. "Is the fact that you still watch it."

"Oh, come on you can't tell me that there aren't any movies from when you were a kid that you still love watching."

"I can't think of any." Eli answered, even though he knew perfectly well that there were a few movies he picked up on DVD the second he found out Carla was pregnant so he could share his love for them with his daughter, since he was positive they were having a girl.

"Seriously? Not a single one." She could see that he was hiding something. "Come on, tell me. I know you have one. You have to."

"Cinderella." He mumbled, so soft that Katie didn't hear him.

"What was that?"

"Cinderella." He said again, a little louder but still not loud enough for Katie to hear him.

"Eli, stop mumbling it I can barely hear you."

"CINDERELLA." He said loudly, catching the attention of every single person on the flight. 'Okay, it's Cinderella."

"Cinderella?" She asked with laughter consuming her voice. "Are you serious? Your favorite movie from when you were a kid was Cinderella? Wow. I'm like getting this whole new image of you." She added, not able to control her laughter.

"Okay, first of all me liking Cinderella has nothing to do with my manliness, or lack there of at this moment. She was hot." With that answer Katie just laughed harder. "Stop laughing." He said with a smile.

"Eli she was a cartoon."

"I really didn't know the difference at the time. I just thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." He said laughing. "I was young, what can I say."

"Still."

"Either way, Cinderella was based on a real person just like Aladdin was based on Steve from Full House. So it's not like…"

Katie could not stop laughing. "You watched Full House?" She said interrupting his last sentence.

"I'm shutting up now." He said turning away, with a small grin on face.

"Jessie slow down already." Grace said as she tried to catch up with her stepsister who was racing down the terminal towards the gate."

"Sorry, just excited. Can't help it."

"Well we're early, so try to suppress it for a little while so we can walk at a normal pace to waste time."

"You didn't have to come in Grace, you could have just dropped me off."

"Well, I'm hoping that wasting some time in here will make the traffic out there disappear." Grace answered. The drive over was horrendous. There were tons of cars on the road, and people had been cutting her off left and right and she hated that.

"Oh. Okay." Jessie said as they approached the gate. "Do you want something to drink, or eat? There's a Dunkin Donuts over there." Jessie asked, pointing to the area across from the seats."

"Sure."

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Katie said to Eli after the plane had landed.

"I'll let you know when my heart stops racing." He said with a laugh. "I can't believe she slept the entire flight." He commented as he unstrapped the car seat from its locked position.

"I know. I was half expecting her to cry the entire way."

"I guess it was a good thing I accidentally woke her this morning then." Eli commented as he lifted the carrier. He placed the carrier down in the aisle, and began grabbing Elyse's diaper bag from the overhead component and then watched Mrs. Singer and Katie do the same thing.

They all waited for their row to be called to exit the plane, they were towards the back so they knew it would be a while. "So have you decided how you are going to do this whole thing. Which parent your going to see first?"

"I still haven't figured that out, thankfully your mom has offered for me to stay with you guys until I do. I mean I know I'm going to do it today, but I need a place to get my thoughts together and figure it out."

"Okay, except…"

"What?"

"Well Jessie was supposed to come over once I got back, so…"

"Hmmm… I'll stay hidden then."

"See the thing is I won't be able to hide this from her. She'll know something is up, but if I don't see her right away she'll also know something is up. So…"

"So we let Jessie know I'm back." Eli said. "That actually might work better, since it will then be easier to get my mom and dad together.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I guess we just answered my own question. Jessie finds out first." Eli was about to say something else, but their row was called so he stopped himself, "That's us." He said instead.

Just as Eli was about to exit his row Elyse woke up and started screaming. "Of course. You guys go, I'll be right there. I just need to calm her down."

"Okay, well give me her bag." Katie said as she watched him lift her from the carrier. "So you don't have to carry so many things."

"Thanks." He said handing her the bag. "I'll be right there." He said, as he rocked Elyse.

"No problem." Katie said, and then exited with her mom since the people behind them were beginning to become impatient.

Katie and her mom made their way off the plane into the gate area and proceeded to the seats to wait for Eli. "He's such a sweet kid, I hope everything goes okay for him later today."

"Shit!" Katie said as she spotted Jessie and Grace across the way, heading straight for them.

"What?" Mrs. Singer said immediately and then followed her daughter's gaze. "Shit."

Katie, who was concerned with what was about to take place the instant Jessie and Grace both saw Eli, couldn't stop herself from laughing at her mom. "Mom!"

"Sorry. Okay, how do you want to do this? We only have a second. Do you want to leave with them and I'll wait for Eli? There's no reason for him to be ambushed the instant he gets off that flight."

"I don't think…" Katie started as she caught a glimpse of Eli from the corner of her eye.

"Hey Katie, I need her bag." Eli said walking up to Katie, and when he got no response he followed her gaze. "Shit!"

TBC…


End file.
